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Chutneys

Celebrating Food Preservation Yesterday and Today

By Denise Pare-Watson

CHC CANADA 150 FOOD BLOG CHALLENGE SERIES

featuring a vintage recipe for Wild Berry Chutney

Prelude:  I am a proud Canadian. When the Culinary Historians of Canada invited food bloggers to participate in the “CHC Canada 150 Food Blog Challenge”, I knew that I wanted in! What a great way to celebrate and honour Canada’s 150th birthday by featuring a different Canadian dish or discussing a topic which reflects on what it means to be Canadian.  For the month of August, CHC invited food bloggers to share stories and recipes related to food preserving; for example: canning of jams or pickles, drying, freezing, fermenting, smoking or other methods of food preservation. While I have worked with all of these methods of food preservation, the method that I most enjoy utilizing is the making of confitures (jams), compotes and chutneys. I live in the beautiful Okanagan Valley where fresh produce is readily available. As seasonal produce becomes available, I have the opportunity to make something special. I am Celebrating Food Preservation Yesterday and Today and for the purpose of this post, I share with you a vintage recipe for Wild Berry Chutney, which makes use of any type of berry mixture, wild or cultivated. Chutneys are easy to make and are lovely served with cheese plates and of course, the world-renowned Okanagan wines.

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Food Preservation: Wild Berry Chutney | urbnspice.com

Wild Berry Chutney

My initial experience with different methods of food preservation methods started with my mother and grandmother. I grew up in a French Canadian household where canning and preserving food was viewed as a necessary life skill. We had special rooms in the basement called the Cold room and the Preserve room. The Cold room was a dark, dry room at the back of our basement. It had a tiny window for ventilation under the large front porch. We stored carrots and other root vegetables in sand-filled bins. My parents had large burlap bags of potatoes leaning against the sturdy handmade wooden shelves that held woven bushel baskets filled with apples, pears and quince. Braided garlic and bundles of herbs hung in bunches from the ceiling to dry. Baskets of yellow and sweet onions air-dried on an open shelf. Tomatoes were lined up on narrow glass shelves and ripened slowly near the window.

Having just returned from a trip to Newfoundland and Labrador, I was fascinated by the heritage root cellars that I spotted along our route (and attempted to photograph them from the bus). Root cellars became common before the days of electricity.  They are cavern-like structures typically built into the sides of a hill, rock cliff or cave and covered with stones and sod with a door for access.  They are an efficient way to store food (mainly root vegetables, but also preserves and dried meat and dried fish) at a cool temperature to protect the food from winter temperatures and keep the food cool in the summer months.  They are still in use today in many parts of Canada.  I captured as many photos as I could ranging from heritage sites to modern root cellars.

Abandoned root cellar | urbnspice.com

Abandoned Root Cellar in Twillingate, Nfld.

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Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
License Type:Commercial
License Abstract:You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: CHC Canada 150 Food Blog Challenge Series, Condiments & Accompaniments, Cooking Techniques, Gluten Free Recipes, Vintage Recipes Tagged With: Canada 150 Food Blog Challenge 2017, Chutneys, Food Preservation, Food Storage, Newfoundland and Labrador, Root Cellars

Urbnspice Confitures, Compotes and Jellies

By Denise Pare-Watson

Let me tell you a little about the UrbnSpice kitchen. There is often a gently simmering bone broth, a recipe or two in development stages, a course outline on the writing desk, cookies baking in the oven or jar labels being printed off for Urbnspice Confitures, Compotes and Jellies. It is a busy place where my background as a chef, pastry chef, administrative and office technology is extremely useful in putting together high-quality products and training.

Caramelized Onion Confiture | urbnspice.com

I have been making confitures (jams), jellies and preserves since I was a little girl helping my Mom preserve food from our market garden. There was something inherently satisfying looking at shelf upon shelf of multicoloured jars brimming with preserved fruit and vegetables, jams, jellies and sauces. I will always fondly remember the spicy fragrances of chilli sauce and apple butter simmering away on the stove.
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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2014-2017 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
License Type:Commercial
License Abstract:You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: Condiments & Accompaniments, Inspiration of Urbnspice Series, Spice Blends, Urb'n'Spice Confitures, Chutneys, Compotes, Jellies, Urbnspice Classes, UrbnSpice Confitures Tagged With: Artisan Jams, Charcuterie accompaniments, Cheese pairing, Cheese Plate accompaniments, Chutneys, Compotes, Confitures, Events, UrbnSpice Confitures

The story behind my UrbnSpice Jar Collars

By Denise Pare-Watson

UrbnSpice Jar Collars:  I have been creating UrbnSpice confitures, chutneys, compotes and specialty jellies for many years now and these little gems have gone through quite a transformation from a simple labelled jars at the local Farmer’s Markets to uniquely collared stacking jars  (the collars become tent cards to display the product on your cheese platter or charcuterie board).  So here is the story behind my Urb’n’Spice Jar Collars.

Roasted Peach Confiture with Rosemary and Brandy | urbnspice.com

My speciality confitures, chutneys, jellies and compotes are lovingly created in small batches, using the highest quality ingredients, as natural as possible, with no preservatives.  All of my products are gluten-free.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2016-2017 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
License Type:Commercial
License Abstract:You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: Appetizers and Small Plates, Condiments & Accompaniments, Spice Blends, Urb'n'Spice Confitures, Chutneys, Compotes, Jellies Tagged With: Artisan Jams, Chutneys, Gluten Free, Inspiration of Urbnspice, UrbnSpice Confitures

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Meet Denise – The Urbnspice Chef

Welcome to Urbnspice - A Taste of Heart and Home. Inspiration in my kitchen is often a trip to the market or an experimental coincidence! Come and join me on this culinary journey where I share my passion for the creative, technical and teaching components of the profession and unravel culinary quandaries for you with fun and easy to follow user-friendly recipes, tips & techniques.
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